Lowenberg heading to Pomona

Danielle Samaniego

Retiring Huntington Beach Police Chief Ron Lowenberg has been

selected to serve as interim police chief in Pomona starting in

November.

Pomona Councilman George Hunter confirmed Tuesday that Lowenberg,

who Hunter said is a personal friend of Pomona City Manager Doug

Dunlap, will step in when Chief Fred Sanchez retires.

Sanchez’s last day in office will be Monday, and his retirement

takes effect Nov. 30.

Lowenberg announced his retirement from Surf City’s force, on

which he has served for the past 13 years, in March. Kenneth Small

will take over for him here on Oct 14.

Small, 54, comes to Huntington Beach from Daytona Beach, Fla.

where he has served as chief of police for the past six years.

Sgt. Mark Warm, president of the Pomona Police Officers Assn.,

said he knew little about Lowenberg but hoped the interim chief would

continue to keep the department on track in the short time he is in

charge.

“He will probably try to continue the process that we’re going

through lately and just continue with the stability and the growth

we’re going through right now,” Warm said. “It was kind of a shock to

us that Chief Sanchez announced his retirement, and with that comes

uncertainty, and then you’re bringing an interim chief who nobody has

any idea what he’s about ... the comparability there is scary.”

The search for a full-time replacement will take about four to

five months, said Pomona Mayor Cortez said.

Lowenberg was appointed chief in Huntington Beach in September

1989. He is the past president of the California Police Chiefs Assn.

and past president of the Orange County Chiefs and Sheriffs Assn. In

1989, he was appointed by the governor to the Commission on Peace

Officer Standards and Training.

In 2000, Lowenberg made headlines when he chose not to hire more

police officers because of limited funds and a decrease in crime in

Huntington Beach. That situation is in contrast to the situation in

Pomona, which needs to hire six officers to round out its staff.

Efforts to reach Lowenberg were unsuccessful.